A Message From The President
For more than a decade, Keith Shoates devoted his time and talents to being the President of the Homeowners Association. His consistency, leadership, and sense of community will be felt within the neighborhood for years to come. I would like to thank Keith for the dedication and determination to make Cascades Park a safe, prosperous, consistent, and reasonable community.
As we transition into the next era of Cascades Park, I would like the board to continue to promote the guiding principles: (1) sense of community, (2) safety and security, (3) fiscal discipline, (4) adherence to governing documentation, and (5) maintenance of property values. More information can be found atwww.cascadespark.com.
Fall and Winter 2016 Highlights
The 2016 Annual Meeting was held Monday, September 12, 2016. The community elected:
Kevin Weltens, Vice President
AJ Glascock, Treasurer
Stefan Geide, Secretary
In addition, Kelly Glessner (President) is continuing to serve an existing term on the board
Keith Shoates resigned from the board, effective 1 December 2016. An appointment will be made for this open position.
Dead Tree Removal
To address the numerous trees that have succumbed to the emerald ash borer, the community has contracted with Mitchell Tree Service to remove dead and declining trees throughout the community. Work occurred through the month of October and November. It is anticipated that additional trees may need to be removed next year.
Community Renovations and Updates
The board has begun to research architectural design firms to renovate and update the clubhouse, pool area, and tot lots. Representatives from ETC, Inc. and Falcon Group attended the October 10, 2016 board meeting to present potential ideas for remodel.
2017 Budget & Dues
The budget for 2017 has been adopted. Monthly fees for 2017 will be:
Single Family Homes - $84.30 (unchanged from 2016 largely attributed to the street coming off bond and the lack of private plowing anticipated for winter 2016/2017)
Townhomes - $99.00 (an increase of 1.013% largely attributed to expected increase in contract services).
The budget for 2017 represents a continuation of services and required savings for the community including but not limited to snow removal for the townhome area, grounds maintenance, pool services, and the annual summer bash.
Online Architectural Submission Form
The community has reached out to the website designer to begin working on an online architectural submission form. This form, when complete, would replace the existing architectural application.
Groundskeeping Contracts
A new grounds contract was adopted in November 2016. The new grounds provider will be Genesis Landscapes. A new snow removal contractor has also been hired. This service will be performed by GLM Services in the townhome community during the winter season. *As a reminder, snowplowing for the single family homes is provided by VDOT.
Request for Proposals regarding stone walls
Responses to the RFP regarding the stone walls behind Livingstone Station Sq, Tottenham Hale Ct, and Ladbroke Ct are being received. TDL continues to provide guidance, management, and oversight of this effort. Homeowners affected by the RFP will be contacted by SFMC with further information as it becomes available.
Sense of Community
The Board continues to manage the overall community improvement plans (to include landscaping, renovations to the clubhouse, tot lot improvements, and other efforts) via a 5 year plan. As needed, professional services are consulted to provide guidance and advice.
Safety and Security
As school has returned to session, please be mindful of the bus stops and children crossing the streets.
Petty vandalism continues to occur around the clubhouse and on the tennis court. If you see something, please call the Loudoun County sheriff at 703-777-0407.
Fiscal Discipline
The Board continues to manage total assets of approximately $1,268,000, pursue funds of approximately $26,000 owed to the HOA, and fund our reserves.
We are tracking against our approved budget of $638,628 with a negative variance of $14,055.00, driven primarily by the fact we exceeded the snow budget by over $11,000.
Adherence To Governing Documentation
In an effort to recognize lessons learned within the community, the Board authorized the Covenants Committee to submit an update for consideration of the Community Handbook. Work on this effort continues although has been affected by turnover within the Covenants Committee.
The Board has directed the property management company to coordinate activities with Pulte and our attorney regarding the Cascades Park HOA (Shagbark, Mountain Pine, Cypress Valley, and Smoketree sections 1, 2, and 3). We need to finish the activities that Pulte failed to appropriately complete when this section within the community formally joined the HOA 10+ years ago. This effort remains on hold pending actions by Pulte and their representatives.
Maintenance of Property Values
The Board recognizes that the community is aging and is taking steps to maintain and increase property values for homeowners. One way we can do this is to plan and prepare for upcoming large investment projects such as renovations to the clubhouse, repaving of streets, and cohesion of the look/feel of the neighborhood.
Thank you
I would like to thank the members of the Board of Directors and the Covenants, Elections, Website, Newsletter Committees, and SFMC for their continued support for our community. If interested, these committees will benefit from additional volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact SFMC or plan to attend the regularly scheduled Board meetings held the second Monday of each month at the community clubhouse at 7:00 pm.
Kelly Glessner, President
Cascades Park Homeowners Association (CPHOA)
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